If you are not assigned a particular seat upon boarding, please do not use the 'preboard' time to secure a seat which you or your child have not been assigned to. If you need to adjust seating arrangements, wait for the person(s) to board and ask politely to switch. Remember that "No." is a completely valid answer to your request.

What does this mean? Do you mean people getting on the plane and taking a seat that is not theirs? Wouldn't that apply regardless of pre-board status?

Yes. For example, I reserved a window seat two months out, when I went to board a mother wanted her child to sit in the window seat I was assigned to so that she could 'contain' him. I asked her nicely for my seat and encountered a litany of excuses as to why she took it. Perhaps I said it badly and it could be made more general in nature.

Armrests are a funny item, does one claim them? Use both? One? I tend to mention politely to seatmates that I'm short and would it be acceptable to share. I'll put my elbows on the back part and they tend to use the front part so neither person is squished. It's not perfect, but has worked in the past.

I thought that the accepted-wisdom was that the aisle-person has his/her own armrest, and the window-person had the windowsill (or whatever it's called in an aircraft) to stretch out an arm. I thought that the unfortunate middle-seater was supposed to be entitled to both. The article does seem unrealistic - are passengers expected to use a stopwatch? "Your armrest time is up now, my turn!"

If an airline employee comes up to you and asks that your bag be "gate checked" due to it's size or the number of bags you have, please comply with the request. Just because you managed to bring five bags with you to the gate area, that doesn't mean that you get to bring all five bags on board the plane with you.

Please do not snap your fingers, or grab their arms, or pinch them to get the flight attendant's attention. Saying "Excuse me?" or "Ma'am/Sir?" or even pressing your call button is a much better way of getting their attention.

Don't make jokes about how awful the TSA is, and how you could do a better job than they do. If you notice that you're always getting pulled out for extra screening, it's possible that your name is similar to an alias being used by a terrorist. Making jokes does not make the TSA feel better about you; far from it!

Attitude is everything! For the most part, if you're polite and good natured, TSA agents, boarding agents and flight attendants will reciprocate. Even if you bring garlic butter (in a soft cooler, of course!) back from vacation with you, not thinking about the fact that butter is a liquid. If you're nice about it, the TSA agent will more than likely allow your parents to reach into the security area and take the butter home with them. Not that I know this from experience or anything.

The last thread I responded to regarding airline etiquette went poof, but here is my contribution.......

If you are lucky enough to board when the plane is still relatively empty, please put your stuff in an overhead close to you. It is so rude to stick your stuff in the first available overhead, and then move further back...because the late boarders will have to have their baggage placed in overheads at the back far from their assigned seats, which means they can't get off in a timely manner and make their connections. Rollerboards go in wheels first, not sideways. Hold on to your coat and put it in the overhead after bags have been placed in it.

And if you see Courtney Love on your flight, ask to be rebooked on a different plane!

A student walks into his final exam half an hour late. He takes an exam, and start writing. When the time is up, the other students start handing their exams in and leave, and he is still writing. The professor reminds him that his time is up; he has to turn in his exam now or it won't be marked. The student keeps writing anyway.

The professor puts the exams into a neat pile, there are over 150 so this takes a couple minutes. The student finally finishes writing and tries to hand in his exam. The professor says, "I told you the time was up and I can't mark that now.""Do you no who I am?" the student asks imperiously."No," says the professor."Do you know who I am?""No," the professor is quite annoyed by now."Good," says the student, and sticks his exam somewhere in the middle of the pile!

If you preboard the plane so you can have extra time to settle in (e.g. With kids or disabilities) please stay in your seat till everyone has disembarked before you start trying to exit, because it's safer and also because people might question why you needed special treatment on your entry!

Also, when going thru security have all your liquids in an approved plastic bag BEFORE you reach the scanner. When packing make it easier by having this and your laptop in an accessible place, because you will be asked to take them out your bag.

If you are traveling with a laptop and want to use it, please be aware of those around you. The people seated on either side of you are not required to give up their personal space so you have room to flex your elbows while typing. Also, the fold down trays in front of your neighbors are not your extended desk top. Just because your laptop takes up all of your tray, you do not need to use your neighbor's tray as a mouse pad or drink stand (without their permission that is). And as with all personal items, please get your laptop and accessories prior to take off.

If everyone has already boarded the plane and the captain announces that the flight will be delayed due to bad weather at the destination airport, do not complain to the flight attendant or anyone else around you about how you MUST get to your destination because YOU have a connection to make and CAN NOT be late. Firstly, the flight attendant can do nothing about it, nor can those around you. Secondly, if you were going to be pressed for time, you should've chosen a later connecting flight or an earlier initial flight to allow for these delays. Thirdly, if the captain can not fly due to weather, please realize that it is for your safety and not because the airline is, "out to get you."

If everyone has already boarded the plane and the captain announces that the flight will be delayed due to bad weather at the destination airport, do not complain to the flight attendant or anyone else around you about how you MUST get to your destination because YOU have a connection to make and CAN NOT be late. Firstly, the flight attendant can do nothing about it, nor can those around you. Secondly, if you were going to be pressed for time, you should've chosen a later connecting flight or an earlier initial flight to allow for these delays. Thirdly, if the captain can not fly due to weather, please realize that it is for your safety and not because the airline is, "out to get you."

Ditto the above if the flight is delayed because of mechanical problems with the aircraft. If mechanical problems exist on the plane, isn't it better to deal with them while the plane is still on the ground?